FAQ

I WOULD LOVE TO DROP-IN. CAN I AND HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

We love drop-in guests. The cost to drop-in is $20 per class. We look forward to seeing you.

I CAN’T DO CROSSFIT BECAUSE I DON’T WANT TO AGGRAVATE BACK OR NECK PAIN FROM PREVIOUS INJURIES.

Numerous clients of ours have come through the doors with previous injuries or tweaks and found relief from the pain by strengthening the muscles around the problem area. All to often people neglect exercising their low back due to fear of injury. Because of this they end up deconditioned, weak, and more susceptible to injury in the future from minor mishaps which is usually what happens. Taking part in CrossFit will provide you a buffer so that you are less susceptible to these kinds of injuries. The movements and workouts are all completely scalable allowing anyone to take part.

SINCE YOU DON’T FOLLOW THE CROSSFIT.COM PROGRAMMING, WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS WHEN PROGRAMMING FOR THE GYM?

CrossFit.com provides excellent programming. At Athletic Asylum CrossFit White Marsh, we take the same approach with constantly varied movements and workouts. We choose to offer workouts that may be more easily scaled in group settings and address some of the needs/desires of our athletes. You are guaranteed to have at least one day/week be heavy loading to help address strength demands. We also like to provide people with a longer workout each week so they can get their “endurance” bug fed. Another approach that we have is to address weaknesses the gym may have as a whole. Things like overhead squats, Olympic lifting, or basic technique with bodyweight movements. Our philosophy is the same as HQ (constantly varied, functional movement at high intensity). We just try to meet some more specific needs of our community.

CAN I GET A GOOD WORKOUT IN UNDER 30 MINUTES?

Yes, this is absolutely what we strongly believe in. More and more research shows that shorter duration/higher intensity workouts yield higher benefits/results. Basically, it just boils down to hard work. But the truth is, the longer the effort the lower our intensity. If you run 10 miles your intensity (power output) will be lower than if you run multiple 400 meter sprints. CrossFit does go beyond 30 min on occasion, but the majority of our workouts are shorter in duration. If you have a shorter workout, you can work harder by nature which can lend to a better response, especially combined with the movements we do. No matter who you are or what workouts you do, without hard work you will not receive results, which is why we encourage you to work to the limits of your physiological and psychological tolerances.

I AM AFRAID I WILL GET TOO BIG AND BULKY?

In order for people to get bigger, especially women, there are two things that you would have to make a concerted effort to do. One: pick up very heavy weight on a frequent basis. This is not something we do. Yes, we are very much concerned about your strength and we do lift heavy some days. But this is not our main focus. Two: eat an extremely high-calorie diet. For most to gain productive muscle mass takes quite the effort in eating the right foods in a high amount. This is also something that we do not focus on. The majority of the workouts we do provide your muscles with more contractile potential and not hypertrophy (muscle mass). However, If that is what you are looking for we can definitely help you with that as well.

I HAVE HEARD YOU CAN GET HURT DOING CROSSFIT, IS THIS TRUE?

You can injure yourself in any activity, but CrossFit is more safe than many activities people perform every day. We like to work with people in 3 stages. First: mechanics (learning how to do the movements with correct technique), Second: Consistency (the ability to do the movements over and over again with safe and relatively efficient technique), Third: Intensity (the speed at which you do the movements). One does not come before the other. We always start with Mechanics.

I HAVE TO GET IN SHAPE FIRST BEFORE I START?

This is a common misconception. The most elite athlete can come into the gym and find a workout challenging. You will never be “fit” enough. That’s why we are here and offer scaling options for each individual so that you can thrive in each workout on a personal level. Fitness is a lifelong journey, we are never really “there”.

I FEEL IT IS TOO EXPENSIVE, IS THIS TRUE?

There is a financial investment associated with the quality of coaching and personal attention you receive within our gym. We can only promise to over-deliver on the value and exceed your expectations with every workout.Your insurance isn’t going to prolong your life. Your doctor isn’t going to strengthen your discipline. Your gym membership isn’t going to make you fit. It is the people and the environment in which you choose to surround yourself that ultimately changes your health. The reality is with the quality of instruction you get from our trainers, it is personal training at a fraction of the cost.

I HAVE HEARD CROSSFIT IS REALLY HARD, IS THIS TRUE?

CrossFit is as hard as you make it. We encourage people to push to the limits of their own tolerances but only you can make the most out of your own workouts with the amount of work you put into them.

I HAVE TO ADMIT, I JUST FOLLOW YOUR BLOG AND THEN DO THE WORKOUTS ON MY OWN, IS THIS OKAY?

You could just follow our blog, but you would not get the quality of teaching from our certified trainers. Most people are not taught how to move correctly and don’t know how to teach themselves. You are automatically making yourself more susceptible to injury and leveling off in your gains by trying to do this on your own. It is also infinitely more fun when you are encouraged and held accountable by a group of your peers. Plus you won’t have someone cheering you on in your basement or local gym, like you have at Athletic Asylum CrossFit White Marsh.

*If you have any questions and would like to know more about what we do,
please do not hesitate to contact us through our contact form or call us at 410.365.9855.